Front register for sheet-folding and other machines.



PATBNTED JULY 3, 1906.

- G. A. STURTEVANT. FRONT REGISTER FOR SHEET FOLDING AND OTHER MACHINES;

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28. 1905.

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PATENTED JULY 3; 1906.

No. 824,755. v

. G. A. STURTEVANT. I

FRONT REGISTER FOR GHINES. I

SHEET FOLDING AND OTHER MA APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28. 1905.

2 sHEETs-sHEE 2. I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. STURTEVANT, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO E. C. FULLER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. July '3, 1906.

Application filed January 28, 1905. Serial No. 243,102.

.To all whom it may-concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. STURTE- VANT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Front Registers for Sheet-Folding and other Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to front gages or registers for use in registering sheets at the front edge before being fed to a folding, printing, ruling, or other machine which operates on the sheets;

The obj not of this invention is to produce a register for this purpose which is preferably rigid while the sheet is being fed against the same, thereby insuring a correct register of the sheet.

My invention has the further object to provide a front register which is simple in construction, reliable in operation, and which contains no arts which are delicate and liable to et out 0 order.'

the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets, Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a folding-machine equi ped with my improved front registering mec anism. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section of the same on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary to plan view of one end of the same, on an en arged scale and showing some parts adjusted to a different position. 4 is a vertical cross-section in line 4 4, Fig. 2. Fig.6 is a fragmentary cross-section in line 5 5, Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding arts throughout the several views.

The f0 ding-machine and its sheet-carrying mechanism shown in the drawings for illustrating the application of my improved front register consists, essentially, of a frame A; a horizontal tape or receiving roller B, Journaled at ocpposite ends in bearings formed in brackets on the frame; sheet-carrying tapes 1),. assing around the receiving-roller; drop-r01 ers D, arranged above the taperoller and movable toward and from the same; a transverse roller-shaft d, carrying the dro -rollers; rock-arms e, carrying the drop-r0 er shaft at their front ends; a transverse rock-shaft E, journaled in-bearings on the brackets O and carryin said rock-arms at their rear ends; a table A from which the sheets are fed by the operator to the tapes and rollers; a pair of folding-rollers B, arranged in rear of the receivin and drop rollers, and a folding-blade B for carr 'ng the sheets from' the tapes between the olding-rollers. While the drop-rollers are elevated the 'o erator feeds the sheet with its front edge etween the tape-roller and the drop-rollers, and after this has been done the drop rollers descend upon the sheet and cause the same to be fed forward by the tapes to the devices which subsequently operate upon the same in a well-known manner.

My improved front-registering mechanism which cooperates with the above-described sheet-carrying mechanism is constructed as follows:

F represents one or more front gages which are adapted to move downwardly and forwardly across the path of the sheets ad-' jacent to the tape-roller for interce ting and gaging the sheet, as shown by ful lines in Fig. 2, and to move upwardly and backwardly for clearing the path of the sheet and permitting the same to be carried away by the ta es,- as shown by dotted lines in the same gure. Each of these gages is pivoted at its upper end by a horizontal cross-pin g to the front end of a bracket G, which is secured to the main frame and is provided above its pivot with a short lug or arm H is a shifting rod which is pivotally con-' nected at its front end with the gage-arm by a horizontal pin h, projecting laterally om the front end of the same throu h an o en ng in said arm. Near its rear en the s t1ng rod passes through .a downwardly-opening recess 'l, formed in a guide-lug Ion one side of the bracket G. This rod is confined in said recess by a transverse pin 5., which connects the parts of said lug below the shifting rod and closes the mouth of said recess. The shifting rod is moved forwardly by a spring J surrounding the rod and bearing at-opposite ends against the guide-lug I and a shoulder or pin 7' onthe rod. At its rear endthe shiftin rod is provided with a shoulder or finger which projects downwardly in rear of a tappet K. This tappet osci lates in unison w1th the rise and fa of the. drop-rollers and is preferably constructed in the form of a web or plate, which is arranged in a longitudinal groove k in the upper side of the rock-shaft E. The tappet-plate is preferably secured in said groove by means of reduced portions or keys Z, formed at opposite ends of the tappet-plate and enga ing with the bore of the openings in the sieves or hubs of the rock-arms e, which receive the rock-shaft and fit around said keys, as shown in Fig. 5.

When the rock-shaft turns in the direction for lifting the drop-rollers from the tape roller, the tappet moves backwardly and carries the shifting rod in the same direction by engaging the finger at its rear end, thereby causing the gage to be turned from its inoperative or elevated position (shown by 'dotted lines in Fi 2) to its 0 erative or lowered position. (S own in fu lines in said figure.) While in this position the gages are perfectly rigid a ainst backward movement, being thus he d by the tappet, which positively moves the shifting rod backwardly, thereby preventing displacement of the front gages upon being engaged by the sheets and insurinig correct register of the same at their front e ges;

As the dr0p-rollers descend upon ,the sheet the plate is moved forwardly by the move ment of the rock-shaft in that direction. This permits the springs J to also move the shifting rods forwardly and cause the gages to be moved from their lowered operative position (shown in full lines in Fig. 2) to their elevated inoperative position, (shown in dotted lines in the same figure,) thereby clearing the 1path of the sheet and ermittin the same to e carried away by t e propel ing mechanism.

When it is desired to adjust the ga es transversely of the path of the sheets or adapting them to sheets of different width, it is only necessary to shift the brackets G in that direction on the frame. This is rendered ossible by constructing the rear part of .eac gage-bracket G in the form of a jaw g, which embraces a cross-bar g of the frame and is movably secured thereto by a clamping-screw 9 While thus adjusting the gagebrackets the fingers of the shifting rods move along the rear side of the tappet-plate and always remain in operative relation thereto, thus avoiding the necessity of read justment of the ga e mechanism when shift- 111 j the same for a apting the mechanism to di erent sizes of sheets.

I claim as my invention 7 1. A front register for sheet-folding and other machines comprising a receiving-roller, a drop-roller arranged above the receivingroller, a rock-shaft arranged adjacent to the drop-roller, a vertically-swinging gage arranged above the receiving-roller, a spring operating to move said gage out of the path 0 the sheets, a shifting rod connected with said gage, and a tappet arranged on said r00 -shaft and operating to shift said rod in finger or shoulder, a spring operating to move said gage out of the path of the sheets and a rocking tappet arranged to engage said finger or shoulder and move the gage into the path of the sheets, substantially as set forth.

3. A front register for sheet-folding and other machines comprising a verticallyswinging gage having an arm above its pivot, a shifting rod connected at one end with said arm and provided at its opposite end with a finger or shoulder,-a rocking talppet arranged to engage said finger or shou der and move said gage into the path of the sheets, and a spring operating to move the gage out of the path of the sheets, substantially as set forth.

4. A front register for sheet-folding and other machines comprising a verticallyswinging gage having an arm above its ivot, a shifting rod connected at one end wit said arm and provided'at its 0 posite end with a shoulder or finger, a rock-s aft provided with a tappet engaging with said shoulder. or finger and operating to move the gage into the path of the sheets, and a spring engaging with a shoulder on said rod and operating to move said gage out of the path of the sheets, substantially as set forth.

5. A front register for sheet-folding and other machines, comprising a bracket, a gage pivoted on said bracket and having an arm above its one end with said arm, a guide on the bracket for said rod, a spring operating to move said gage out of the path of the sheets and a rockmg tappet arranged to engage a shoulder on said r0 and move the gage into the path of the sheets, substantially as set forth.

6. A front register for sheet-folding and other machines, com rising a bracket, a gage pivoted on said brac et and having an arm above its pivot, a shifting rod connected at one end with said arm, aguide for said rod arranged on the bracket, a spring surround ing said rod between a shoulder thereon and sald ids and operatin to move said age out o the path of said s eets, and a roc g tap et engaging with a shoulder on said rod an operating to move said gage into the path of the sheets, substantially as set forth.

7. A front register for sheet-folding and other machines, com rising a bracket, a gage pivoted on said brac st and having an arm above its pivot, a shifting rod connected at one end with said arm, a guide-lug on said bracket having a downwardly-opening recess which receives said rod, a pin arranged on asaid lug and closing the mouth of said recess below said rod, a spring-operating to move pivot, a shifting rod connected at IIO the path of the the gage out of the path of the sheets, and a rocking tappet engaging with a shoulder on the shifting rod and operating to move the gage into the path of the sheets, substantially as set forth.

8. A front register for sheet-folding and other machines, comprising a rock-shaft arranged transversely of the path of the sheets, a bracket adjustable transversely of said ath, a gage pivoted on said bracket, a spring or moving said ga e out of the path of the sheets, and means or moving the ga e into the path of the sheets comprlsing a sliifting rod connected with said gage, and a tap etplate arranged lengthwise of the rock-s and engaging with a shoulder on said shifting rod for moving the gage into the path of the sheets, substantially as set forth.

9. A front register for sheet-folding and other machines, comprising a rock-shaft arranged transversely of the path of the sheets, a bracket adjustable transversely of said path, a gage pivoted on said bracket, a spring or moving said gage out of the path of the sheets and means for moving the ga e into sheets comprising a s 'fting rod. connected with said ga e, a tappet-plate arranged in a longitudina groove in said shaft and engaging with a shoulder on said rod for moving the gage into the path of the sheets, keys arranged at the ends of said late, and sleeves arranged on said shaft and tting over said keys, substantially as set forth. I

10. The combination of a sheet-propelling aft device comprising a tape-roller, a drop-roller movable toward and from the ta e-roller, a roller-shaft su porting the drop-r0 ler, a rockshaft provides with rock-arms in which the roller-shaft is journaled, and a front register comprising a vertically-swingin gage arranged above the t ape-roller, a s 'fting rod connected with said gage, a spring operatin on said rod to turn the gage out of the path 0 the sheets, and a tappet arranged von said rock-shaft and operatively engaging said rod for turning the gage into the path of the sheets, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination of a sheet-propelling device comprising a tape-roller, carryingtapes passing around said roller, drop-rollers movable toward and from the tape-roller, a roller-shaft supporting said drop-rollers, a rock-shaft, rock-arms connected with said rock-shaft and supporting said roller-shaft, and a front register comprising a ga e movable into and out of the path of the s eets, a shifting rod connected with the ga e, a tappet on said rock-shaft engaging wit a shoulder on said rod for moving the gage in one direction, and a spring for moving the gage in the opposite direction, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 25th day of January, 1905. v

CHARLES A. STURTEVANT.

Witnesses: I

ELLSWORTH E. BUSH, CHAS. H. BIERLEIN. 

